The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/08/03 at 15:00 EDT

Episode Date: August 3, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/08/03 at 15:00 EDT

It's not just you. News in Canada and around the world is moving at an incredible pace, which is where we come in. I'm Jamie Poisson and I host Frontburner, Canada's most popular daily news podcast. And what we try to do is hit the brakes on a story that you actually want to know more about. So try us out. Follow Frontburner wherever you get your podcasts, Frontburner, stories you want to follow five days a week. front burner, stories you want to follow five days a week. From CBC News, the world is sour. I'm Wayne Thibodeau. Dozens of wildfires are burning in BC with about a third considered out of control. Evacuation orders have been issued for hundreds of properties on Vancouver Island.

Tricia Kindleman has more. The Wesley Ridge wildfire is forcing an evacuation of about 400 properties and a provincial park on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Another 238 properties are under evacuation alert, meaning residents need to be ready to flee at a moment's notice. I think this is bigger than the one that had a couple years ago. That's a big fire. Right there with him.

On that one for sure. Officials said they had no reports of homes lost to the blaze on Saturday. BC Wildfire Service though said some firefighting equipment and railway trestles were lost. Workers and staff were safely withdrawn. In all, five evacuation orders are in place around BC, including around Lytton, which suffered a devastating wildfire in 2021. Five evacuation orders are in place around BC, including around Lytton, which suffered a devastating wildfire in 2021. There are special air quality warnings and statements across Canada.

The statements cover the country stretching from eastern British Columbia into western Quebec varying in severity. Trisha Kindleman, CBC News, Toronto. The union representing 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants is holding a strike vote that will close on Tuesday. The two sides have been in contract talks since the start of the year. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says its top priority is boosting compensation for flight attendants. Dominic LeBlanc appeared on US television today saying he still thinks a win-win trade deal with the U.S. is possible.

But the message out of Washington is anything but clear. Tony Waterman explains. We remain very optimistic. Cabinet Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he's still working towards a better trade deal with the U.S. But top White House officials are painting a muddier picture. U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer says tariff rates are pretty much set. I know a lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not.

While Kevin Hassett of the White House National Economic Council says talks may continue. They're going to get the reciprocal rates, you know, soon. And then we would expect that there might continue to be negotiations with those countries. may continue. They're going to get the reciprocal rates, you know, soon and then we would expect that there might continue to be negotiations with those countries. Ultimately any final decision will be made by Donald Trump himself. Tony Waterman for CBC News, Washington. Also in Gaza, a rocket hit the Gaza? A rocket hit the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent headquarters in Khan Younis. One aid worker was killed and three others were wounded.

The Red Crescent says its headquarters was well known to the Israeli military and clearly marked the Israeli military says it has no knowledge of the strike. Meanwhile, Gazan officials say Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food aid today. It comes as Gaza health officials report another six people have died of starvation and malnutrition in the last 24 hours, and 93 children have died of a lack of food since the conflict began in Gaza in 2023. Protesters blocked the Tel Aviv Highway demanding the release of Israeli hostages

held by Hamas in Gaza for nearly 670 days. Shai Moses is the nephew of a hostage who was released earlier. We came here because yesterday we saw the videos of our hostages in captivity after 666 days looking like skeletons and we just couldn't stay home. Demonstrators say they will keep pressuring the Netanyahu government to reach a deal to end the war and bring everyone home. U.S. envoys say negotiations are ongoing. Four of the five miners trapped underground in a Chechalian copper mine have been found

dead. The latest body was recovered today. A strong tremor caused part of the underground to collapse. And that's your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Wayne Thibodeau.